Sienna couldn't believe the relief she felt walking alongside Audrey. For two days she had had to make decisions and worry about Ethan and avoid dinosaurs. And now, that was someone else's job. And Audrey seemed to be doing it well. She and Dr. Santos had studied their map and decided on a village to head for. They finally had a destination! They had also decided they wouldn't need the rafts anymore. Apparently there was a terminal a few kilometres across land from the lake that would get them where they were going.

So they walked. Sienna already idolised the guide. Even the way she walked was lithe. Like a cat. She tried to emulate it. With some effort she could balance on the balls of her feet and toes, especially when she extended her claws to give that little extra support. She found that made her stoop forward though, which Audrey definitely did not. Her neck lifted straight up out of her relaxed, squared shoulders. The guide was constantly swiveling her head, clearly keeping an eye on everything in every direction. Periodically she would alter their direction. The first few times, Ethan had whispered that he had heard something in the direction they had been heading. Ethan's hearing was naturally much more sensitive than Sienna's, but how had Audrey known?

"Sometimes it's a broken bush, sometimes an errant sound or even a lack of sounds," Audrey explained when she'd asked. After that, Audrey pointed out the signs for her which only increased the girl's admiration.

In fact, Audrey was so good at avoiding dinosaurs that even with the large numbers that the lake had shown was in this area, they only saw one hadrosaur, and that was in the distance. Until they were in sight of the terminal.

The wide concrete column rose high into the air above them. Running in two directions from the top was a tube of polynancom glass that extended well past their sight. Other than Audrey, it was the first real evidence that people continued to live in the world outside of the compound. On catching sight of it, Dr. Santos picked up their pace. Audrey however, did not.

"Something's coming," Ethan hissed to Audrey. He too started deferring to her.

Audrey nodded. "The birds have quietened. Can you tell the direction?"

"From behind us."

"How long?"

"We won't make it to the terminal. Sienna maybe, but not me."

"Then Sienna, run!"

Sienna stood there looking at her. "Run! One of us should be safe at least!"

Sienna still hesitated. "Maybe you can find a car or something. Go!"

Feeling like she was deserting them, Sienna turned and ran. At first she took it easy, but then thinking about Audrey's directions, she picked up speed. Maybe she wasn't deserting them after all. She could help them. She looked over her shoulder. Behind her, the three of them had formed a semi-circle, each holding out something in their hands. Caps spray probably. Except Audrey. She also held a black stick-like object. Not great odds against a dinosaur really. She kicked up her speed even faster, lactic acid firing in her burning muscles. She was so close.

A bark sounded behind her. It was familiar. She kept running. "Sienna!" She heard Ethan call her name. She looked over her shoulder and slowed. "Blue!" It looked like Blue! And she definitely wasn't attacking. Turning, she jogged back to the group.

"... after Sienna had given such convincing arguments for you having a pet," she heard Dr. Santos explaining as she drew closer to them. "They bred you a companion." The group had started walking towards her now, towards the terminal. "I wasn't part of that project, but I do know some things. Dino-mo-gens have a history of … turning on their owners. So they bred this one extra loyal. They would bring her into your sleeping quarters each night so she could learn who you were, learn to watch over you."

Sienna reached the group and gave Blue a hug and a scratch on the head. "How did you find us, girl?"

"Your scent would be my guess," Audrey spoke up. "I doubt most raptors could have followed you quite so well, so I assume they increased her ability to smell with her loyalty."

"The perfect pet," Dr. Santos spoke up, however was looking at their device. "Should we continue on then? Get into the safety of the terminal?"

They hurried towards the tall column and on reaching it, Audrey palmed the door open. They had to enter one at a time, Blue forcing her way directly after the children. Audrey was last, closing the door behind them. They eagerly took the elevator to the top and soon they had a panoramic view of the land below them. Much of it was trees, but there were sections of grassland towards the mountains, and they were even able to see some of the lake. Dr. Santos hit the call button for the transport, then brought over some food they had got from a vending machine. The kids ate it enthusiastically. They were so bored of protein bars and this was filled with salty, sugary deliciousness.

Filled stomachs, comfortable chairs, and a safe location soon saw the eyes of both kids closing. Even Blue settled down on her haunches, arms crossed, head bent forward in sleep. Audrey eyed the dinosaur, then glancing at Faren whispered, "I'll take the first watch." And soon she was alone, looking out over the view, surrounded by the strangest sleeping companions of her life.

The transport came. Waking the kids, they climbed aboard. Sienna hadn't wanted to wake up to move. She planned to go right back to sleep as soon as she was sitting down again. But as soon as the vehicle started moving again, she was instantly alert. It moved completely soundlessly. Dr. Santos explained that it was designed to avoid attracting attention. No sound, no lights, just swift movement. It was the view out the window that really got her attention though. Having lived her whole life in a school room, bedroom and yard, she couldn't believe how far the world stretched. Even the view from the terminal was small compared to what she could see now. Endless blankets of trees, mountains towering, rivers winding, lakes glinting… it was simply incredible. Occasionally they would see a pterosaur fly past, but they completely ignored the transport. At one point they even saw a quetzalcoatlus. The fact that something so enormous could fly stunned Sienna. She didn't take her eyes from it for the few minutes it stayed in sight.

Probably the most surprising for Sienna though were the birds that burst up from the tree tops before diving back down again. "I thought all the birds would have been eaten by the dinosaurs." She said this allowed. Audrey was resting, so Dr. Santos answered:

"Birds are pretty hardy. Being able to fly gives them a real advantage. And being small enough to hide among the treetops helps. You didn't notice them singing while you were walking?"

Sienna nodded slowly. There had been sounds, strange ones, but she had attributed them to smaller dinosaurs. "Is that what I was hearing."

"Yes. Lots of mammals and reptiles do pretty well too. Pretty much anything that already had a scary predator that it had to defend against is still doing okay. Farm animals didn't do so well. If the farmers couldn't protect them, they became easy targets. Even now it's hard to say just how many species were lost. Some people go out to do surveys, but they only cover small areas of land."

"But there are still birds," she smiled. She liked knowing there were still birds around.

"The town we are going to is a tree top town. There are many birds there. Monkeys too. They're pests, but I think you will like seeing them."

"A tree top town," she repeated. She couldn't even imagine what they was talking about. All the clips they had seen were from the Beforetime. People lived in vast cities with tall, shining towers or in small towns with houses. Other than the open skies, it didn't seem too different from their compound.

"You're going to love it," Dr. Santos beamed, eyes shining.